Good governance award for Cebu

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has awarded the Cebu provincial government the “Seal of Good Local Governance”, an award given to LGUs that espouse the principles of transparency and participatory governance.

It was the second straight year the Cebu Provincial Government has received the award, joining 306 other LGU awardees.

Cebu Province Map (Grabbed from Google Maps) | Manila Bulletin

The award maintains the primary requirement of meeting the standards of three core areas like financial administration, social protection and disaster preparedness, and at least one of the essential areas.

“The Cebu Provincial Government met the measures for one of the following three essential areas: Business friendliness and competitiveness, peace and order and environmental management,” according to the letter of Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Ismael Sueño’s letter.

Local governments nationwide were assessed based on upgraded criteria from March to September this year.

Cebu first received the award along with a check for P7 million on July 14, 2015.

“It is with great pride and humility that I accept this recognition of excellence in governance on behalf of the Sugbuanons who are responsible for this award. We thank God for this blessing and let us continue to work hard and serve the public,” Gov. Hilario P. Davide III said.

With the recognition, the province will receive the Performance Challenge Fund to finance development projects and priority rating in loans and grant assistance.

Meanwhile, the Cebu provincial government has allocated R6.5 million as assistance to cooperatives, particularly to micro-cooperatives.

Buddy Berdin, chief of staff of Provincial Board Member Jude Thaddeus Sybico, disclosed this during the free training given to around 70 micro-coops in celebration of Cooperative Consciousness Week.

Sybico, who heads the PB committee on cooperatives, authored Provincial Ordinance 2014-20 declaring the last week of October of every year as “Cooperative Consciousness Week” in the Province of Cebu.

Berdin said this year is the first time that the provincial government has appropriated P6.4 million for the Cebu Province Association of Accredited Cooperatives.